Lawn chair



NQ?. 29,- 1932. C, ERNST gf l LAWN CHAIR Filed Feb. 25, 1,930 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESS ATTORNEY Nov. 2Q, 1932.

c. ERNST 1,359

LAWN CHAIR Filed Fem. 25, 195o 2 sheets-sheet' 2 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 29, 1932 UNITED STATES LAWN CHAIR Appuation mea February 25, 1930. serial No. 431,221.

My invention relates to chairs, and more particularly to chairs of the adjustable or convertible type which are adapted for conversion into different types of chairs as well 5 as a couch, and consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein shown and described.

An object of my invention is to provide a chair of the type described which by easy 0 manipulations on the part of the operator may be adapted for rockngpior remaining stationary in what is known as an easy chair position, and for providing a horizontally extending plane for the reception of the reclin- 5 ing body of an operator.

A further object of my invention is to provide a. device of the type described which utilizes the force exerted by the weight of an operator to carry out the various operations 0 and which requires only a minimum of manual eiort on the part of the operator to seeure the chair in the various operative positions. l

VA further object of my invention is to pro- 5 vide a device of the character described which has few parts, is simple to manufacture and (108s not get out of order easily.

Qther objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds and the invention will be more particularly defined in the appended claim.

My invention is illustra-ted 1n the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which.:

Figure 1 is an elevational View of the device in one operative position;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the inr vention another operative position;

Figure 3 is a further elevational viewV of the device in still another operative position;

Figure 4 is a. transverse sectional View, on line .4l- 4 of Figure 1, with parts thereof being shown in elevation;

Figure 5 is a sectionalV vie-w, on line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure V.6 is a sectional detail view of a por,- tion of the device, .on line 6 6 of ,Figure f1.

In carrying out my invention I make use of a `number of legs 1 whichmay bek of any suitable construction and consist of any desired number. These legs are connected to conventional rockers 2--which as in' rocking chairs of usual construction may consist of a pair. The legs 1 as indicated at 3, are secured to a seating portion 4 thus supporting said seaty ing portiont from the rockers 2. This seat# ing portion extends between the legsl and' projects rearwardly, as indicated at 5, to provide groove 6 for a be described. Y

Arm rests 7 are pivotally suspended above the seat 4 by means of the pivotally mounted back rest 8 which is swivell'ed to the seat portion, as showin at 9, and to said arm rests,i as shownrat 22, and the swivelly mounted toot 6 rest 11, which is swivelled tothe armrests 7, as shown at 12, and tothe seat, as shownat 13. The lpivot members 22 include a lateral extension 1Q projecting inwardly therefrom, to engage the'knotches 6in theouter extremi- 7 ties 5 of the seat 4 to support the back and the rests when in one of theoperative positions.

The back portion 8 may bel of any suitable' or conventional construction and :need not diier from-backs on ordinary chairs in any way except in the fact that it extendsto a greater distance upwardly than the backs of ordinary chairs. In the" preferred' embodiment, this back rest or chair back 8 exten-ds above the head'ot1 the person operating the chair when seated therein.

The foot rest 11 consists of the downwardly extending members having positioned at their lower port-ion the foot rest proper y14 which is rigidly secured to said downwardly extending portions of the footv rest. This foot rest is provided with slats or other suitable wall forming means, not shown, which extend between the downwardly extending portions lformingthe sides or supports for said walls and the support for the portion 14. These downwardly extending members Vare the portions of the rests whichare pivotally mounted tothe opposite sidesr of theseat4. The downwardly extended pcrtionsl and 16 arepivoted to the seat t in spaced relation therefrom. lAs shown most clearly in vFigure L pin members 17 and 18 are provided upon 1 the members 15 and 16 adapted for cooperapurpose thatwill later 60 formed buffer or bumper member on the.

' forward legs of the chair.

These bumper members provide an eficient means for taking up the shock incident to swivelly turning the rest 11 on the pivot members 17 and 18 toward the chair. This swivel turning is necessary in the operation ofthe device which will be more fully described as the speciiieation proceeds.

For stopping th-e chair against rocking in certain of the positions thereof as well as toV supportthe chair when the same is adapted to form a couch'to accommodate the body oi a reclining operator, I provide the arms 7 with rigidly mounted legs 20 and 21, which as shown in the preferred embodiment are crossed, but which may be mounted in any other manner adapted to perform the operation required. These chair legs 20 and 21 are rigidly secured to the arms 7, by the pivot members 22 and 23 respectively and are also rigidly secured to each other against relative movement, as shown at 24;. The end portions 25 and 26 of these legs 20 and 21, respectively, are free as can be clearly seen. As

' will be later described, these free ends are adapted for engagement with the floor in certain positions.

For securing the chair in several of the adjusted positions and for permitting the operator kto position the chair in other operative adaptations, the swivelly mounted adjusting bar 27 having a plurality of notches 28 at the outer extremity thereof is mounted on one of the arms 7, as clearly ini dicated at 29. This swivelly mounted adjusting bar 27 is adapted to engage one of the pivots 17 or 18 as desired to variably position the operating parts of the chair. It is obvious that the adjusting bar 27 could be diiplicated on the opposite side of the chair or any other suitable arrangement as desired could be utilized. v c.

A book rack 30 or any other receptacle desired for the use of the operator of the chair or other person may be mounted on the arm rests 7 as shown in Figures 1, 2, 8, and 6. Vhen arranged in this position, the receptacle will be most conveniently located in any of the variablepositions of the chair. Tt is obvious that the receptacle may be positioned at any other desired-point. The chair may be provided with conventional'rungs 1a of any desired 'and suitable construction or may be braced inany other manner desired. This constitutes no part of my invention;

From the foregoing description, the 'use and operation of my device is easily understood. When the operator desires 'to use the chair as a rocker, the parts are positioned as sho-wn in Figure 1, the adjustable bar 27 having its innermost notch 28 engaged with the pivot 17. `When thus positioned the foot rest extends substantially vertically downward in spaced relation to the front legs of the chair While the back rest extends substantially vertically upwards. It will be noted from an examination of Figure 1 that the legs 2O and 21 in this position clear the operating surfaces of the rockers 2, which engage the ground or other base upon which the chair is positioned for rocking. It can ltherefore be easily seen that the legs 2O and 21 are inoperative while the rockers 2 are operative. When the operator desires to use the chair as an easy chair he forces his feet against the portion indicated at y31 off foot rest 11, thus throwing the arm rests orwardly relative to the seat l about the pivots17 and 18. It can easily belseen that this decreases the distance between pivot 29 and pivot 17 which keeps the adjustable bar engaged. It can also be easily seen thatsince the adjustable bar 27is rigid it must give at one of the ends or at one of the points oli' engagement with the pivot. The notches 28 are so formed that upon this relative movement of the arm rest 7 and the seat 4 the adjustable bar 27 rides upwardly on the pivot 17 or 18, thus disengaging the notch 28 which has been holding the chair in position.` The operator then relieves pressure of the heels-or the rear part of his legs on the footrest 11 below the pivot 1.8 and permits the armrest 7 to slide backwardly relative to the seatl under pressure of the weight orn the operator or under the force of gravity operatinglon said'chair back through the pivot 22connecting said baclrto the arm rest. then engage the adjustable rod 27 in any of the desired notches toiit the position of the feet or back to the position of Figure 1 or'in the desired position shown in Figure 2. This is accomplished by merely engaging one of the notches 28 with the pivots 17 or .18' near the outer extremity of the adjustable rod. Vhen the' chair is so positioned it will be obvious vupon an examination of Figure 2 that the lower ends 25 of the rear'legs 20 will projectbelow the rockers 2 to engage the ground when the chair is rocked'intothe rearinost position and to thus stop the chair in this position, and so provide-a convertible chair of the type known as the easy chair.

When the operator desires toform a couch of the chair for receiving thev reclining body of the operator lie frees theadjustable bar 27 from the pivot 17 by repeating the operation described in the preceeding operation 0r by forming the samerom'sa-id pivot manually permits the backV 8 to fallibackwardly under the force of,l gravity orunder'pressure exerted by the back of the operatorI.j, jThe backward motion is controlledas to its veloc- He can ity by means of the feet and legs of the operator, which by the exertion of pressure on the foot rest- 11 may decelerate or accelerate the rate of fall of the back. The parts may thus be positioned in that adaptation shown in Figure 3, from an examination of which it will be disclosed that the lower extremities 25 and 26 of both the rearward and forward legs 20 and 21 respectively project below the rockers 22 and engage the ground. It will be noted that a portion 32 of the rockers 2 remain in engagement with the ground or other support adding to the supporting strength of the chair legs 2() and 21. It is also obl served that in this position the back 8 with the rests 7 are supported by the pivots 10 which are further supported in the notches 6 formed in the backwardly extending portions 5 of the seat 4.

When the operator desires to throw the chair from the position shown in Figure 2 to that of Figure 1 or to other adjustable positions he simply throws the adjusting bar 27 over the pivots 17 or 18 manually and by pressure of his legs on the seat or by otherwise changing his center of gravity as regards the movable parts of the chair elevates the back and lowers the foot rest, permitting engagement of the notches 28 in the adjusting bar 27 for securing the chair in and arm rests.

' CHAS. ERNST.

the desired position. It is thus seen that I i have provided a chair which by easy manipulation on the part of an operator may be adapted to assume dierent positions from that of a chair of ordinary construction having rockers to that of a couch adapted for the reception of a reclining body of an operator.

It is also obvious that the operation of the device may be accomplished by simple manual means taken in conjunction with the weight of the body of the operator. It can also be easily seen that the only manual means necessary for the operation of the chair is conveniently located, for engagement by the operator at all of the adjustable positions.

I claim:

In a reclining chair, a supporting base having a seat, a back rest pivotally mounted to said seat, said seat having a forwardly projecting portion and a rearwardly projecting portion, said rearwardly projecting portion having grooves formed therein, a foot rest, said foot rest comprising side members pivotally connected to said forwardly projecting portion of said seat and projecting thereabove, arm rests pivotally connected to respective projecting portions of said side members and to said back rest, rigid leg members connected to said arm rests and depending therefrom and movable with said arm rests to engage the supporting surface for said base when said back and foot rest are moved to a reclining position, and re- 

